FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 10, 2021

CONTACT: Jonathan.Davis@sen.ca.gov, (714) 473-3072

Senator Thomas J. Umberg Remembers 9/11;

Memorializes Californians Killed in Action in Afghanistan

(Sacramento, CA) – On the 20^th Anniversary of 9/11 and the Afghanistan War, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), a retired Colonel with the United States Army, reminded the California State Senate to honor some somber moments.

On Tuesday, September 7^th, the California State Senate paused its busiest week of work to conduct its annual remembrance of 9/11.  Senator Umberg, a U.S. Army veteran who served three overseas tours, took the opportunity to remind Californians about the unending, dangerous, and often thankless work of many Afghanis and other allies to support the United States in the aftermath of 9/11 and to assist our troops on the ground in the months and years later. 

“I ask that we remember those that who fought with us and shed blood with us in Afghanistan because now they are fleeing…that we shall remember that they served and sacrificed [too].”

He encouraged us all to keep those people in mind as California opens its doors to thousands of Afghani-American refugees in the coming weeks.

The Senator’s full remarks about 9/11 can be found here.

On the same day, Senator Umberg adjourned Senate Session in the memory of the 268 Californians who have been killed in action in Afghanistan in the last 20 years.  He presented five poster boards listing the names of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, noting that those who died in this mission came from every district across the state.

Senator Umberg pointed to a verse from the Bible -- John 15:13 “No greater love hath man, than to lay down his life for his friends.” He added that for the military, this often translates to “No greater love hath man than to lay down his or her life for their country.” He went on to state that, “We remember, we recognize, we don’t forget those sacrifices.  We remember, we recognize, we don’t forget the sacrifices of those families.”

Senator Umberg’s full remarks on those killed in action in Afghanistan can be found here.

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Senator Thomas Umberg represents the 34th Senate District which includes the cities of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Orange, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, and former federal prosecutor. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.